30 April, West African
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are teaming up with Guinea to gain direct access to the Atlantic Ocean.
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger three West African landlocked nations have in recent times revealed plans to have direct access to the Atlantic Ocean, mainly with the help of coastal neighbor Benin or Togo, and more significantly with Guinea.
The foreign ministers of the three military-ruled West African nations shared their countries positions during a meeting Monday with King Mohammed VI in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, according to a ministry statement.
These nations have traditionally relied on ports in countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, and Togo for their exports and access to international markets. Political turmoil and changes in alliances have motivated them to find another alternative.
The Mali-Bagako coalition and Niger three-nation bloc announced they were withdrawing from the regional group called ECOWAS last year. They formed their security alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States, and cut military relationships with old Western allies like the U.S. and France. They went to Russia to seek military assistance.
Recent Developments
In 2023, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, all ruled by military juntas after recent overthrows, pulled out of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), isolating themselves from regional grouping seen to be aligned with Western interests.
They have now established a new grouping known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), deepening their regional integration.
Early in 2024, they revealed a strategic collaboration with Guinea, which shares a border with the Atlantic Ocean, to create a sea corridor.
Objective
Trade Independence: Minimize reliance on ECOWAS-correlated coastal nations.
Infrastructure Development: Establish road and rail connections from these landlocked countries to Guinea’s Conakry port.
Geopolitical Realignment: Portends a shift towards more autonomous and potentially Russia-aligned regional policies.
Challenges
Infrastructure Shortfalls: Construction or renovation of roads and railways through the highlands.
Security Threats: The Sahel region is not stable with active insurgencies.
Global Exigency: Actions could be perceived as worrisome by Western and ECOWAS-aligned powers.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger’s choice to gain direct access to the Atlantic Ocean is a major geopolitical and economic changes in West Africa. By partnering with Guinea and bypassing conventional ECOWAS routes, these landlocked countries are asserting greater regional independence and attempting to alter trade patterns to their advantage. Although the move has the potential for greater autonomy and more robust intra-African relations, its success will be in surmounting logistical, financial, and security hurdles in the disputed region.
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